Examining the Technology Integration Planning Cycle Model of Professional Development to Support Teachers’ Instructional Practices

Background: Presently, models of professional development aimed at supporting teachers’ technology integration efforts are often short and decontextualized. With many schools across the country utilizing standards that require students to engage with digital tools, a situative model that supports building teachers’ knowledge within their classrooms is needed.

Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study was to examine how teachers’ instructional planning and delivery, as well as their perceptions of their proficiency with technology integration, changed when they participated in a model of technology-focused professional development titled the Technology Integration Planning Cycle Model of Professional Development. The researchers also examined the relationship between students’ (N = 1,335) digital literacy skills and teachers’ participation in the Technology Integration Planning Cycle Model of Professional Development.

Research Design: This mixed-methods study combined numerous quantitative and qualitative data sources and data analysis techniques to answer the research questions. Pre- and posttest comparisons were used to examine changes in students’ digital literacy skills and changes in teachers’ perceptions of their pedagogical expertise for integrating digital technology. Daily diaries, classroom observations, interviews, and field notes were analyzed to understand the role of the professional development in teachers’ instructional planning and their perceptions of their proficiency.

Findings: Results indicate that students in classrooms with participant teachers performed significantly better on a digital literacy assessment, the Survey of Internet Use and Online Reading, than did control group students. Selective exposure to digital tools, professional learning communities, and opportunities for reflection were the most transformative elements of this model for teachers. Teachers were better prepared to envision their roles in the classroom and the purposes for integrating technology because of the TIPC framework.

Conclusions: The results of this study provide important implications for professional development, particularly in regard to (1) providing a model in which to ground discussion and application of technology integration; (2) situating digital tools within context-driven instruction; and (3) using multiple modes of teacher engagement.

To view the full-text for this article you must be signed-in with the appropriate membership. Please review your options below:

Sign-in

Email:

Password:

Store a cookie on my computer that will allow me to skip this sign-in in the future.

Purchase Examining the Technology Integration Planning Cycle Model of Professional Development to Support Teachers’ Instructional PracticesIndividual-Resource passes allow you to purchase access to resources one resource at a time. There are no recurring fees.

$12

Become a Member

Online AccessWith this membership you receive online access to all of TCRecord's content. The introductory rate of $25 is available for a limited time.

$25

Print and Online AccessWith this membership you receive the print journal and free online access to all of TCRecord's content.

Amy HutchisonGeorge Mason UniversityE-mail AuthorAMY HUTCHISON is an associate professor in the School of Education at George Mason University. Her scholarship centers on three primary areas of inquiry: (a) understanding how digital technology can be used equitably and to support diverse learners; (b) understanding and supporting the development of STEM literacy; and (c) understanding how digital technology can support the development of literacy skills and how to support and prepare preservice and in-service teachers to effectively integrate digital technology into instruction. She is the coauthor of a recent book titled Bridging Technology and Literacy (Rowman & Littlefield) and many related articles.

Lindsay WoodwardDrake UniversityE-mail AuthorLINDSAY WOODWARD is an assistant professor in the School of Education at Drake University. Her work focuses on exploring secondary students’ reading practices and beliefs in digital spaces and professional development in technology integration. She is the coauthor of “Examining Adolescents’ Strategic Processing During Online Reading With a Question-Generating Task,” in American Educational Research Journal (2017), and “What Are Preadolescent Readers Doing Online? An Examination of Upper Elementary Students’ Reading, Writing, and Communication in Digital Spaces,” in Reading Research Quarterly (2016).